How To Reserve A Table At Pokemon Cafe Japan

The Pokemon Company has announced new information on how customers can dine at Pokemon Cafe, along with a huge FAQ page. The permanent Pokemon Cafe is scheduled to open on March 14, 2018 at Nihonbashi Takashimaya, alongside Pokemon Center Tokyo DX.

First up – if you’re intending to walk in the day the Pokemon Cafe opens, you’re out of luck. All customers must have a reservation in order to enter the Pokemon Cafe. Reservations will start on March 5, 2018 6pm Tokyo Time on the official Pokemon Cafe website (in Japanese).

On the reservation page, you’ll be able to reserve a time slot on any day between March 14, 2018 to April 5, 2018. Everyday at 6pm Tokyo Time, the reservation page will be updated to show new days available for reservation (1 month before the day reserved).

Customers will be able to choose two different types of reservations – Regular, where you can reserve a table for free, and Special, where customers can pre-order special Pokemon Cafe merchandise in advance. Credit card payment is required for special reservations only.

Here are a few things to take note before reserving:

1. Reservations can only be done through the official Pokemon Cafe website. They cannot be done via telephone or any other means.

2. If you walk in without a reservation, you will not be allowed to enter.

3. Everyone who has reserved a seat at Pokemon Cafe must order at least 1 item from the menu.

4. There’s a possibility that the Pokemon Cafe website will be hard to access when reservations first start. Please try at a later time if that occurs.

5. Resellers, scalpers, and any other entity who attempts to resell reservations to the public are not allowed. Reservations which found linked to said activity will be refused entry. No refunds will be given.

6. Menus are available in Japanese, English, and Chinese.

7. You cannot bring pets to the cafe.

8. Smoking is not allowed.

9. Take outs aren’t allowed.

10. Credit card payment and cash payment are accepted.

11. You can dine alone.

12. Reservations can be canceled by telephone or the reservation page at least 24 hours before the day of reservation.

Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough to make a reservation on the official website:

Reservation Guide

Step 2: You will now be able to choose the date of reservation. The dropdown box under the sentence “何名で来店されますか?” (How many people will be coming to the cafe?) lets you choose the number of people coming to the cafe. Minimum 1 person, maximum 4 people. To view the previous month’s slots, click “前の月を見る”, and for the next month, click “次の月を見る”. Grayed out boxes have no open slots, while white ones do. Reservations can only be made 30 days ahead (example – reservations for July 1 open on June 1).

After clicking the date you want to reserve, scroll down and click the blue button “次に進む“.

Step 3: Now is the time to choose the time slot of your choice. Grayed out boxes are unavailable, while white ones are available. Keep in mind each time slot lasts for 90 minutes. Simply click to select the time slot you want.

Step 4: And… congratulations! It’s time to fill up your details. Under “お名前” (name), fill up your name in English or Japanese.

Under “ふりがな” (Furigana), enter your name in Furigana format. If you are unsure on what to do, visit this website, enter your name under “English input”, click “Transliterate to Japanese”, copy the Japanese text that appears under “Hiragana”, and paste it into the Furigana field. Please remove hyphens and dots if they appear in the translation.

In the next field “電話番号” (telephone number), you will need to enter a Japanese phone number that belongs to you, or someone who has one. In the last field “メールアドレス” (email address), simply key in your email. Double check and make sure it’s correct!

Step 5: The next page lets you pre-order products that aren’t available at the Pokemon Cafe itself as you have to order them in advance. Simply click the plus (+) icon to increase the quantity, and (-) icon to decrease. Quantity limit is 1 per person that is coming to the cafe (so if 4 people are coming, 4 of each item). If there’s nothing you want to purchase, click the white button “商品を購入しない” (do not buy products). If you are purchasing something, click the blue button “次へ進む” (proceed to next).

Step 6 (for those who purchased items): After selecting the items you want to purchase, you will now need to make payment by credit card. Enter your credit card number under “カード番号”, your three digit CVC or security number (found on the back of your credit card) under “セキュリティコード(CVC)”, month (in MM format) and year (in YYYY format) of your card’s date of expiry under “有効期限”, and finally the name of the credit card holder in English below “名前”. Only VISA and Master Card can be used at this point of time. Once complete, click the blue button “確認へ進む” (Proceed to confirmation).

Step 7: Now we’ve finally arrived on the confirmation page. Check that your details, date, and time of reservation are correct. If everything is okay, click the blue button “予約を確定する” (Confirm the reservation).

Step 8: And that’s about it. You will receive an e-mail in your inbox, providing details on your reservation. Keep a copy of the e-mail to show to the staff on the day of reservation. Assemble at the 5F (5th floor) of Nihonbashi Takashimaya S.C. East at least 10 minutes before your reservation. The entire 5th floor is occupied by Pokemon Cafe and Pokemon Center Tokyo DX. If you have pre-ordered any merchandise in advance, you can collect them directly at the Pokemon Cafe store.